‘James Harden did not shake hands like Lebron James and Isiah Thomas’: Nets star brought back memories of Michael Jordan-Pistons controversy by walking off court after Game 7

Samir Mehdi | 20/06/2021
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NBA fans go off on James Harden for leaving the court without shaking anybody’s hands following the Nets loss to the Bucks in Game 7. 

It’s been a rough couple of games for James Harden this past week. Game 5 saw him post up merely 5 points on 1-9 shooting from the field and Game 6 was a dud as well, leading to a 104-89 loss at Fiserv Arena. Game 7 saw Harden put up stats that were reminiscent of his regular season averages but he did so on abysmal shooting from the field. 

James Harden has had a history of straying from the mean when it comes to Game 7s as the usual dominance he shows in the regular season seems to disappear in the most crucial games of his career. He posts up averages of 23.8 points, 7 assists, 4.8 turnovers, all on 37% shooting from the field in Game 7s.

Also Read: “The Nets crowd is electric when Giannis Antetokounmpo hits the free throw line”: The Brooklyn crowd hilariously counts down the Bucks MVP’s agonizingly long free throw routine in Game 7

Emotions clearly ran high throughout this series and Harden must feel some type of way knowing that if he were healthy and as explosive as he was before his hamstring injury, the Nets could’ve pulled away for the series win. 

Fans roast James Harden for walking off the court just like LeBron James. 

James Harden did little to avoid having comparisons between him and LeBron James be drawn towards the end of this Game 7 as he walked off the court without shaking any of the Bucks players’ hands. This is of course, reminiscent of what LeBron James did in Games 5 and 6 of the Lakers’ series against the Suns in the first round.

Also Read: “The real MVP is going after PJ Tucker”: NBA fans react to Kevin Durant’s mom chirping and trash talking the Bucks star defender in Game 7

Taking it back nearly 30 years and the Pistons had also done this to the Bulls after the Bulls had been nothing but respectful of Isiah Thomas and the ‘Bad Boys’ in the 1991 ECF. NBA fans were livid at Harden’s unsportsmanlike conduct and took to Twitter to call him out on it. 

Post Edited By: Amulya Shekhar
Bucks Giannis Antetokounmpo James Harden nets

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Samir Mehdi

Samir Mehdi is a senior strategist for the NBA division at The Sportsrush. Ever since he was 13 years old, he’s been obsessed with the game of basketball. From watching Kobe Bryant’s highlights on YouTube to now, analyzing and breaking down every single game on League Pass, Samir’s passion for the game is unwavering. He's a complete basketball junkie who not only breaks down current games but also keenly watches ones from the 60s’ and 70s’ while also reading comprehensive books on the history of the league. Samir’s life revolves around basketball and he hopes that shows in his work. Aside from work, he loves to spend time in the gym and with his friends at social gatherings.

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